Artificial intelligences may not be able to exercise themselves (yet), but that does not mean they cannot help you get into shape. New York-based wearable tech company Lifebeam Technologies Ltd. has launched a new Kickstarter campaign for Vi, an AI personal trainer that aims to give users personalized advice to maximize their exercise routines.

The device itself is a specialized, biosensing pair of earbuds with the virtual trainer built in. Like many health-focused wearables, the sensing technology in Vi is capable of tracking your heart rate and motion. It can also fill the same functions as a normal pair of bluetooth earbuds such as streaming music and answering calls.

What really sets Vi apart from standard exercise wearables is the smart AI that powers it, which is capable of learning from users’ exercise history and building a customized routine designed to maximize their performance. Vi talks to users through the earbuds, advising them on things like their cadence, pace, and heart rate. Through the device’s companion app, it can also allow you to set personal goals or have the AI create personally tailored training plans.

Users will be able to talk to the AI using speech recognition, and Lifebeam says that it is working hard to make that interacting with the AI is a flawless experience.

“We’re committed to having the most natural AI/human interactions, and making sure we create a seamless user experience,” Lifebeam said on the Vi Kickstarter page. “We have some of the best experts in the field who are working to ensure you get the highest quality interaction with Vi.”

“Any time we see a sub-optimal experience due to prematurity, we find practical ways of addressing it. We weigh whether it’s better to take the feature out to improve focus, or replace the AI vocal/textual interaction with a more straightforward interaction.”

Vi is expected to retail for $249 when it releases, but users who pay for the device through Kickstarter can pick it up for only $179. The Kickstarter campaign is already successfully funded, with over $135,000 raised of its original $100,000 goal with another 48 days remaining.

Lifebeam has yet to release any stretch goals for the campaign, but the company noted in comments on Kickstarter that it is considering waterproofing and noise cancellation as possible goals for additional funding.

Image courtesy of Lifebeam Technologies Ltd